Attachment for sewing machines



no 1927 s. WECHSLER ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed April 2, 1921 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1,613,860 11 1927' s. WECHSLER ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES 1 Filed April 2, 1921 2 Shee ts-Shee 2 ulImII-ii INVtNTOR- SAMUEL WECHSLE-R,

ATTACHMENT FOR P TEN OFFICE.

OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

SEWING MACHINES.

Application filed April 2, 1921. Serial No. 457,992.

My invention comprises an. attachment for sewing machines, the primary object being to provide a device which will simplify and expedite the sewing of a spiral seam in a a hat band or brim. Thus, certain styles of cloth hats have their brims stiffened and strength-ened'by stitching the plane surface spirally at relatively close intervals from the outer edge to the inner edge of the brim H) where joined with the body of the hat. This work is usually done on a sewing machine by experts who must guide the brim skilfully and with care to maintain a uniform spacing between the parallel lines of stitching,

' and the work is very tedious and eventually becomes especially trying on the operators eyesight. To relieve the operator of this arduous labor and to effect absolutely uniform spacing of the stitches and to expedite the work, I have devised the means herein described and as shown inthe. accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of my invention associated with a sewingmachine and-showing a hat brim in working position thereon and partly stitched.

Fig 2 is a front elevation of the sewing machine and attachment, with the hat brim in section. Fig. 3 is a vertical section transversely of the machine and attachment on the line of the sewing needle, showing the hat brim in dotted lines. Fig. 41 is an enlarged section view of the attachment itself on line 4 4, of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a sectional view, enlarged, of the changeable bevel gearing, and Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail. view in cross section on line 66, of Fig. 2, of the split nut and feed screw for shifting the hat brim carrier.

The device comprises a frame 2 which is adapted to be bolted to the base 3 of the sewing machine, or frame 2 may be cast integral with said base. The sewing machine is of that type commonly employed in workshops where power is available, and the driving wheel or pulley at of the sewing machine is driven by a belt 5. Frame 2 supports a horizontal shaft 6 having a sheave 7 at one end thereof adapted to be frictionally engaged and operated by belt 5 and a worm pinion 8 on shaft 6 meshes with a worm gear 9 on a vertical shaft 10 journaled at the front side of frame 2. A bevel gear 11 having a double set of teeth is adjustably secured by a set screw 12 to the upper end of shaft 10, and two separate bevel gears 14.

and 15 are slidably secured by separate set screws to. the reduced smooth end 16 of .horizontal feed screw 17 journaled at its opposite ends in ears 18 which project from the front edge of a horizontal plate 19 rigidly secured by screws 20 upon the top side of frame Bevel gearl f is adapted to mesh witlrthe smaller circle of teeth in the composite gear 11, and bevel gear 15 is adapted to be placed in mesh with the larger circle of teeth in gear 11 when gear 14 is shifted longitudinally on shaft 16 into an inactive position as shown in Fig. 2, and gear'll is adjustable and adapted to be lowered on shaft 10'to permit gear 14; to be shifted on shaft 16 across gear 11. 7

Feed screw 17 passes through a split nut 21 confined within a square chamber 22 at one end of a combined guide and carrier 23 which rests in a sliding position longitudinally on plate 19, and this plate extends parallel with the arm 24 0f the sewing machine and rests upon the Work table 25. The rear longitudinal edge portion 26 of plate 19 isdoubl'ed over to provide a'confining chann'el 'and guide for therear edge portion of the guide or carrier member 23 and the body portion 27 of carrier 23 is slightly elevated above plate 19; and the-goods to be stitched, that is to say, the hat brim B rests upon and travels over elevated part 27 and is confined at one edge in that position by a horizontal flange 28'while the opposite edge I) of hat brim B bears againstand is guided in its travel to the needle 29 of the sewing machine by a curved guide 30 which is integral part of a slotted supplemental piece 31 secured by screws 32 in an adjustable position upon carrier member 23. A cover plate 33 is hinged to piece 31 and is adapted to be closed down upon flange 28 and locked thereto by a spring wire 34 and a notched stud 35. Hinged plate 33 has a front extension with a presser foot 36 adapted to bear upon the goods as it passes into the carrier, and a curved finger 37 extends from the rear edge of flange 28 to press the goods down as it leaves the rear side of car rier 23. A straight extension 38 at the side of finger 37 serves as a guide and a stop for the goods as it passes underneath the needle 29 and beneath the presser foot 39 of the sewing machine which also comprises the usual reciprocating feeding device 410 and the other stitch forming and operating mechanism known to those skilled in the art.

The split or divided nut 21 may beengaged with or disengaged from the screw threads of feed screw 17 at the election of the operator by merely turning a set screw 41 having a right and left hand screw-thread adapted to separate or bring together the divided portions of nut 21, and a bent wire spring %2 is used to frictionally engage the set screw 41 to lock it in any adjusted position.

In operation the hinged cover plate 33 is released and raised and an endless piece of goods B is inserted beneath flange 28 in a rest position upon carrier 23 with the edge 7) bearing against the curved guide which it should be understood is supported for adjustment to bands or brims B of different width. Feed nut 21 is then disengaged from feed screw 17 which permits carrier 23 to be shifted to the left towards the left hand to bring the right hand edge of the endless band or brim B beneath the,

sewing needle 29 and in a position where stitching or sewing may be started. Set screw 11 is then manipulated to engage nut 21 with screw 17 and the sewing machine is then operated and as the stitching proceeds the endless band is fed to the needle in the usual way by the feeding device 40 and is also slowly fed toward the right hand by the revolution of screw 17 which is geared down to rotate very slowly. In this way a spiral stitch is produced in the band and uniformly spaced apart a greater or less degree depending upon the speed or revolution of feed screw 17. The speed and the degree of spacing can be regulated in advance by shifting gears 14 and 15 respectively to engage either the smaller or larger circle of teeth in the composite gear 11. The operator is only required to set and start the mechanism and to stop the machine when the spiral stitch has been completed, and the brim or band maybe only partly or completely stitched as the work in hand may require.

What I claim is:

An attachment for a sewing machine, com-- prising an upright skeleton frame having a horizontal plate and a carrier slidably mounted upon said plate, a guide member adj ustably mounted upon said carrier adapted to guide endless pieces of goods of different widths across said carrier, a feed screw and gearing for said carrier, means adapted to connect and disconnect said carrier from said feed screw, a vertical shaft and worm gearing mounted upon said upright frame adapted to operate said feed screw and gearing, and a driving sheave mounted at one end of said frame adapted to engage the operating belt of the sewing machine when the attachment is secured thereto.

SAMUEL WEGHSLER. 

